From pinching facials to underwater spinning, a look at what's beautiful now in the city of light.

The Makeup

The Makeup

The recent Helmut Newton retrospective at the Grand Palais has inspired dramatic, old-school beauty in the capital. Cleopatra eyes and deep red lips are very much in demand at Don Cross, the hot boudoir-like spa on Rue Saint-Honoré. Belinda, the singularly named makeup artist who holds court there, likes Guerlain's Rouge Automatique lipstick in No. 121 ($35; sephora.com) and Serge Lutens black mascara ($65; barneys.com). The mascara comes with a flat comblike applicator, which makes for an especially even application.

The Hair

The Hair

There's currently a trend in chignon bars like Marianne Gray for last-minute updos, but in general hair is never as "done" as it is stateside. Rather, long hair is clipped insouciantly off the neck or in a loose ponytail with relaxed, flyabout tendrils. Jane and Kate Drotter, who own and manage Yard, a bistro in Paris's very du moment 11th Arrondissement, both wear long, effortless tresses treated with Kérastase's serums. "They fix even the most damaged split ends," says Jane. "And they smell divine."